What happens to your favorite wind-up toy if you try to use it in zero gravity? A NASA shuttle mission took a box of toys into space to find out the answer. This site asks your students to predict how various toys would behave in a weightless environment. It's a new twist on formulating hypotheses.

In the Classroom

The daily images would be an excellent stepping-stone to study other aspects of space and space exploration. Visit the archive to find any one item of particular interest. Better yet, allow students to choose an image from the archive for further exploration and research. Results could be reported as an infographic using Visme, reviewed here, for beginning technology teachers and students, or as an interactive newsletter using Sway, reviewed here, for those more advance in the use of technology with their class. Since this site is constantly updated, post a link on your webpage for those students and parents who want to check back frequently.

Create, assign, and practice tests easily with this resource! Create and manage your tests as well as view activity reports about those who have taken the test. Create your new test defining the name, subject, and whether it is your test material or from a third party. Create questions, add images, and include bits of text snippets. Help options are found on the question pages. Enter the questions, answer choices, and actual answer as well as answer explanations will be provided. Be sure to look at all the question type options in the tabs above: Fill in the blanks, Match, Multiple Choice, and True/False. When finished, be sure to click Apply New Changes, Make Visible. Note: All created tests are made public but need not be turned on until needed. Students can take tests and go back later if needed.

In the Classroom

Use this resource as a way to practice material and improve students' scores in preparation for an actual test. Use this resource to practice involved questions that like those found on the state tests. Practicing with various question formats builds confidence and improves performance. Create quizzes and tests that students must pass before moving on to other content or other harder tests. Use these as progress steps along the way to help students learn the content as they progress through a unit. Learning support teachers may want to work together with small groups to create their own "practice" quizzes before major tests.

Demonstrate how the moon and sun appear to us on Earth using this clever application. View the main window to start the simulation and follow daylight and the movement of the Moon. Skip forward by minutes, hours, or days, or change the speed of the animation. The side window shows the phase of the moon present as it passes between the Sun and the Earth. Click angle, lunar landmark, or time tick marks to add more information for even greater understanding of moon phases. View the horizon diagram at the bottom to reveal how the Sun and Moon would move about the sky if one were standing on Earth.

In the Classroom

Consider having the class use this simulation prior to discussion in class and after an initial survey quiz to determine prior knowledge about lunar phases. After using this simulation in groups, encourage students to identify the movement of the Earth and the Moon over time. Allow students to use a projector or other light source and objects resembling the Earth and the Moon to demonstrate what they have learned to the rest of the class.

If you are looking for ideas to incorporate mathematical problem solving with fun, hands-on activities this site is for you! Well over 20 activities are offered covering Algebra, Trigonometry, Science/Physics, General Math, and Technology concepts. Choose a category, then select the activity and view all the materials offered. Titles include Color Sines, Right Triangle SAM, and Binary Signals. Each activity includes facilitator notes including 11 items from overview, setup, discussion questions, and troubleshooting. Most also include participant handouts in MS Word format and software needed for calculator programs.

In the Classroom

Share this site with students and preview each of the activities, then allow students to choose an activity for a math project. Several activities on the site are perfect for use as cross-curricular projects with the Science or Technology departments. Use this site as a resource for math or technology fairs. This site is perfect to use as a resource with gifted students - allow them to choose a project that coincides with their interests.

Looking for an easy to use free jeopardy game? Look no further than this site. Download the application for free or create the activity to be played online. View and try activities already created online. If you like your project you can save it to a folder on your computer. There is a short video in the "How To" section that will walk you through the process of making, saving, and playing a Flash Jeopardy game. Those of you who have used the PowerPoint Jeopardy will find this flash version much less time consuming to create and to recreate new Jeopardy games.

In the Classroom

Use this great resource to create Jeopardy games for any content area. This resource is perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector with a student emcee. Use for vocabulary/terms, identifying parts of anything, and reviewing for any curriculum topic. Use as an opener to a unit to determine what students already know. Play as a review game to assist learning for all students. Encourage students to create the clues and answers to their own Jeopardy review games as a creative way to review and reinforce. Learning support teachers may want to have students create review games together.

You or your students can copy and paste the HTML code for any game on your web page, wiki, or blog for easy access to any Flash Jeopardy Game.

See where clouds form throughout the globe. Rotate the globe to view the clouds at the moment. This site updates the cloud maps every three hours. Watch the movement and location of clouds around the Earth.

In the Classroom

Use this tool as part of a lesson on the weather, water cycle, or desertification with this 3D globe. Provide time for students to identify where clouds seem to form, the direction that they move, and the type of clouds. Use to help determine the wind patterns on the Earth and where the water cycle begins. Follow with a more extensive look at weather patterns in the local area or at specific places across the globe. Focus on hurricane formation off Africa or winter weather patterns. Create conventional or multimedia posters that shows the types of clouds and portions of the weather cycle. Have students or student groups create an online, interactive poster known as an infographic using Easel.ly, reviewed here.

Try this simulation where players must make decisions to balance environmental concerns with their community's power needs. Need help in with this interactive? Start by using "Guided play." Create a city name, drag and drop various sources of energy for your city and be certain to gauge the economy, environment, and security of your city as you play. Click on the question marks along the side for more information about these scores. Compare impacts among these using the icons on the bottom right. Be sure to read the information that comes up as you make your choices. Click on How to Play for more game tips.

In the Classroom

Identify the trade offs in economic, environmental, and security concerns with the various types of energy used to power the city. Research the types of energy, including the advantages and disadvantages to each. Provide time for students to play and brainstorm the problems certain cities have and the mix of energy sources that seem to work. Research the various technologies and where they are currently used including research into uses around the world and comparisons among countries. Use as a part of a unit on the environment or energy. Follow up with a debate about the type of power generation that should be used in your community.

Looking for an excellent astronomy resource? Sloan Digital Sky Survey or SkyServer offers a wide-ranging telescope view and digital images. View stunning images or click, sit back, and enjoy the scrolling sky view. It really is out of this world. With tools such as navigate which allows you to zoom, and quick look which allows you to easily find specific objects in outer space, this is a time efficient site for the astronomically inclined. However, this site is more than just look and see. There are hands-on projects here, too.

In the Classroom

Use this in basic astronomy courses or introductions to show students different galaxies. A great idea to start students thinking beyond the confines of Earth would be to show an image of another galaxy and have students discuss what a galaxy is. Ask what galaxy is Earth in. Have students save the link and explore as homework, and assign them to come up with two questions that the site provoked. Refer to and discuss questions as you are teaching your astronomy unit, and maybe even use some (or all) of the questions on the exam for that unit.

You may want to select one of the projects that are labeled basic, advanced, challenge, etc. Each level has several topics. Group students and assign them one of the project's topics to explore. Or, to differentiate for your students you can have small groups investigate an entire project at one level, including all topics. Have groups keep any objects they make and take notes about what they learned using a tool such as Quicklyst (reviewed here). Once finished, have them share their part of the project using your interactive whiteboard and projector. Post student notes as links on your teacher website, so all students can benefit from them. Once created, the notes can be used as a study aid for tests and quizzes.

This site aggregates all types of videos from around the world. Captioning makes these enhanced YouTube videos accessible to English language learners, speakers of different languages, and those who need language support in general. You can search for videos by categories which are constantly being updated. Find current events, music, and more. In addition to offering the captioning with the news clips, all news items offer "tags" to provide some important vocabulary. Also, there are separate sections on the website for common mispronunciations, idioms, and slang, targeted specifically at ESL/ELL students. You should preview and preselect the videos rather than allowing students to randomly search at this site, since some content may not be fitting for your classroom. Many schools block YouTube, so verify availability at school.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

If filtering blocks your at-school access, use a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here to convert online videos such as the ones you find on YouTube into a portable format you can play at school. World language students will enjoy hearing the news in other languages, but also seeing the English translations. If you have students in your classroom who are reading below grade level, have them watch the video twice: once to listen to the words, and the second time to read along with the dialog. Have students view these sample videos and then work in cooperative learning groups to create their own videos on topics they are currently learning in science, current events, or nearly any other subject area. Share the videos using a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. High school social studies classes can compare news coverage from different countries/cultures about the same event to analyze the "spin" or bias.

This easy to use site allows you to make interactive online quizzes or use pre-made quizzes sorted by subject. You can upload classes, assign quizzes, and receive scores (if students are registered.) Current quizzes available range from Drama to Law to Math (and all core subjects). The format allows for any topic, and the enjoyable characters help to maintain student interest. Note: This site was created in the United Kingdom and follows the curriculum of the United Kingdom. You may notice slight spelling/pronunciation differences.

In the Classroom

You can create and/or assign quizzes for any topic. You need not register students to simply assign an activity, but registration is required to keep and report scores. You simply check which countries to include to narrow activity searches, so decide whether alternate spellings might be an issue for your curriculum topic. Students can use quizzes either at home or in school. Use this site to help students review concepts and receive immediate feedback on their performance. There is a direct link in the quizzes to send a link to registered students or to share on social networking sites such as Facebook, iGoogle and Blogger. Assign small groups of students to create their own quiz for any topic you might be studying. Students can challenge their peers as a review.

Want to use YouTube videos but cannot play them at school? Download your video using this free service. No software download required, but you will need to have Java on your computer. Find a video you want to save, then copy and paste the video's URL at KeepVid. The easiest way for your download to be successful to insert "keep" into the URL before the "YouTube." In our experience, this tool works without causing other problems. You may encounter warnings about applet security; we ignored these, but you may choose to do otherwise. If you decide to proceed, be sure to "allow" KeepVid access when your computer asks, and click "run" to begin the download. Select the quality you want to save the file to download (low, medium, or high quality FLV, MP3, or MP4 format.) Use KeepVid with a variety of video sites. If unable to view your file, either download a FLV viewer such as FLV Player (find a free one advertised on the site,) or convert your file into a more usable format. Drag the KeepVid button from their site into your browser's links toolbar. Find your video. When it starts to stream, click the KeepVid button in your toolbar. Choose the link to download and save.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this service to backup videos on your YouTube channel. Use to download and save videos at home that you wish to show to students, especially if they are blocked at school. Users must be able to find, copy, and paste the URL of the video to be downloaded. Once the program starts, you will be prompted to save it. If you want to use the video at school, you would save it to a USB stick.The MP4 format is fast, and it will play on an Apple or Windows computer. If you want to download in FLV format, you must also be able to play FLV files on the computer or be able to download an FLV viewer. No registration or login is required. This should primarily be a teacher resource. If using with students, discuss appropriate and inappropriate uses of the technology as well as choosing necessary videos. Be careful about videos found on the KeepVid site. These may not be family or student appropriate.

The New York Science Teacher Movie Sheet page offers fast help for turning good movies into academic endeavors. How many times do we find a regular movie that we would like to use for science class but do not have the time to create a good guide or question sheet for it? This is a good solution. Movie sheets, all submitted by teachers, are searchable by subject content and a few are searchable by series. The guides are printable, and they make a great "in-a-pinch" solution.

In the Classroom

These printable movie worksheets are a great way to supplement a video. Try using them to amp up the educational punch of everyday movies or to ask different questions about science videos you may already have. Challenge students to create their own worksheets to accompany a video. Have cooperative learning groups view a video together (while other groups view other videos) and then create an online worksheet using Google Docs, reviewed here. Use the online worksheets with the other various groups as they view all of the videos. If you find a movie/video title that sounds good based on the activity sheets here, search for it on YouTube, perhaps downloading it using a tool such as KeepVid reviewed here.

eGFI Online Magazine is great nonfiction reading in science and math. It is completely portable as it is online. It can be shared to your Delicious or Diigo site or other social networking sites. Use this site to enhance cross curricular teaching and learning of reading and interpreting nonfiction text. Plus, this is current and exciting stuff to read for students who are even vaguely interested in science. There are also video links throughout the magazine connecting the text to different, relevant videos. There are lesson plans and activities for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Some of the recent entries (at the time of this review) included the topics of velocity, Earth Day, robots, sports physics,

In the Classroom

Share the link to this magazine with your students via your delicious or diigo links that can be posted on your wiki or website. Then have students sign up for an article to read on their own time using your wiki as a sign up location. Then have students share what they have read in class discussion or on an online discussion board or blog post. Challenge students to create a multimedia presentation to share their topic. Have your students create an interactive online infographic using Piktochart, reviewed here.

View real time celestial positions with this 3D interactive model of space. Move through space and change your orientation as you move through. Double click on a planet to visit it. Use the Panoramic and Geocentric views for a different perspective (find these in the tools along the left hand side of the screen.) Use the planets distance calculator to understand the actual distances between them. Move forward and back in time to view movements of planets and other objects.

In the Classroom

Before discussing planetary movements, give time for students to click on a planet and view movements. For example, click on the Earth and use the little icons beside the Earth and Moon to calculate distance. Click on the play, forward, and back arrows along the bottom to watch the rotation of the Earth and the movement of the Moon around the Earth. Have students make observations and discuss these with the class. Discuss content about the planets using student observations.

Create your very own planet including physical attributes and habitability. Use the sliders to change the distance from the star, planet size, star type, and planet age. Choose from three presets including Earth and Mars. Easily turn off the sound by clicking "turn off sound" above the presets. As you make changes, view the information in the boxes to understand how each of these parameters change the habitability of the planet. Click Download a picture of my planet to obtain a JPG image of your changes. Click on Planet Gallery in the upper right hand corner to choose another planet from in and out of your solar system. Read the information about each of these planets to compare attributes and ability to support life.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an introductory activity to learn how different factors can determine whether life can be present or not on a planet. After playing with the site, have students brainstorm what they have learned about the parameters that allow Earth to be one of the only planets we believe able to have and support life. Discuss what is meant by astronomical units and why the age of the planet matters as to the type of life that would be found there. Challenge students to create multimedia projects about their planet. Click the button to download a picture of your planet (bottom left of the screen) and have students use Thinglink, reviewed here, to explain their planet. This site allows users to narrate a picture.

Become part of space exploration via The Planetary Society's activities, the place to go for space enthusiasts. The society's mission is "To inspire the people of Earth to explore other worlds, understand our own, and seek life elsewhere." Although the site is text-heavy, the society offers many ways to engage with the latest space news, images, and experiences related to space and space exploration. The various projects range from working with space images to following blogs and news of various space projects. The content is quite up to date and covers projects rarely reported in mainstream media. Click the dropdown Explore menu at the top to see featured projects and more. Check out the Multimedia drop down tab at the top for a Weekly Planetary Radio Trivia Contest. If Carl Sagan is one of the founders, you know the society is serious!

In the Classroom

Make this site a link on your class web page during a unit on space or all year round. Gifted students and those with a passion for space will find endless discoveries. Include this site as a research source when assigning projects about space or the planets. If you have more able students in upper elementary or middle school, use this site as a differentiated alternative for them to research at a higher level. Inspire students to read in content areas by sharing space-related "current events" articles from this site. These selections would work well on interactive whiteboards for practice using highlighters to find main idea, context clues, and other comprehension skills. No whiteboard? No problem! Use your projector and eMargin, reviewed here, to highlight and annotate as a class. If you assign portions of the site to the entire class, you may need to assign "reading buddies" for weaker readers and they can use eMargin together. Challenge students to narrate space image galleries (search for the blog entry on the "New Flickr collection of historical NASA photos") or design and explain their own devices for space exploration on Thinglink, reviewed here.